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PUBLISHED: 15:00 21 February 2019 Harry Taylor Lauderdale House in Waterlow Park, Highgate. Picture: LAUDERDALE HOUSE Archant A heritage weekend is set to change the reputation that Highgate “doesn’t like to shout about its history”. Lauderdale HouseAmong the events at the two-day festival at Lauderdale House is the launch of a “pink plaque” project in the village to help highlight the remarkable women who have lived there.Alicia Pivaro will be one of four artists speaking alongside the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution’s Catherine Wells about the scheme.It is looking for public nominations of well known and locally important women to have lived in the village and surrounding neighbourhoods. The group will talk about their work and the project’s next steps.“It’s a continuation of a women-only history of Highgate that we did at last year’s Highgate Festival,” Alicia told the … [Read more...] about Lauderdale House heritage weekend set to shout about Highgate history as ‘pink plaques’ launched

PUBLISHED: 14:36 21 February 2019 | UPDATED: 14:36 21 February 2019 Emma Bartholomew The Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1872. Picture: Library of Congress Library of Congress In 1873 the Gazette reported that a group of freed slaves from Tennessee were coming to sing in Hackney on a tour to raise money for their university. Nearly 150 years on the story how they became beacons of the civil rights movement is being told at a stone’s throw away from where they sung. Emma Bartholomew reports. The Gazette ad from June 11 1973“Marvellous and heart-stirring melodies,” read the eye-catching words in a Gazette ad from 1873. It was to let the community know that the Jubilee Singers from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, would be giving a rendering of their plantation spirituals at the Downs Chapel to raise money for their “much-needed” university. “Tickets may be obtained of Mr Surman, family grocer, corner of Lea Bridge Road, … [Read more...] about Fisk Jubilee Singers: Amazing story of how freed slaves sang in Hackney 150 years ago

PUBLISHED: 15:40 20 February 2019 | UPDATED: 15:40 20 February 2019 Emma Bartholomew Missionary graves in Abney Park Cemetery. Leota's path with Leota's grave on the left. Picture: Polly Hancock Polly Hancock Alan Gartrell tells Emma Bartholomew about the missionaries buried in Abney Park who went to all corners of the world Missionary graves in Abney Park Cemetery. The memorial stone of Samuel Oughton is on the wall inside the mausoleum close to the Stoke Newington Church St entrance. Picture: Polly HancockAlan Gartrell’s interest in missionaries began with “the classic missionary who was eaten by cannibals”, John Williams.Williams spent two decades “converting” foreigners in the South Pacific to the Gospel and was famed in Congregational circles. Unfortunately, in 1939 the natives of Erromango – one of the cluster of islands now known as Vanuatu – killed John and his London Missionary Society colleague James … [Read more...] about Cannibals, Christians and the Bible: A look at the missionaries buried in Stoke Newington’s Abney Park

PUBLISHED: 13:30 20 February 2019 | UPDATED: 13:30 20 February 2019 Emma Bartholomew The Gazette 30 years ago Archant An escaped snake wiped the smile off the painted faces of the 120 clowns gathered for the annual church service in honour of Joseph Grimaldi. The pet, which belonged to one of the clowns, got loose and the service at Dalston’s Holy Trinity Church was held up while the clowns searched for it. In other news, fruit machines were banned from all snack bars, restaurants and corner shops in Hackney, much to the horror of the British Amusement Catering Trades Association at the council’s “drastic and unreasonable” action.Youngsters hooked on the machines had been squandering school dinner money and stealing to feed their gambling fever. The ban followed a shock council report which showed a link between slot machine addiction and truancy, theft, poor work, aggressive behaviour and emotional disturbance.The ban was to hit … [Read more...] about This week 30 years ago: Snake escapes disupts annual Grimaldi clown service in Dalston church

PUBLISHED: 13:40 20 February 2019 Franki Berry Director of Manor Pharmacy Group Graham Phillips. Picture: Danny Loo Danny Loo Photography 2017 Pharmacists have spoken out about coping with a supply shortage of popular medicines. Patients may have encountered problems buying commonly used treatments in the district because the industry is going through a “particularly bad patch” of scarcity.But the superintendent pharmacist at Quadrant Pharmacy in Marshalswick, Rachel Solanki, is unwilling to blame it wholeheartedly on leaving the EU. Some national newspapers have attributed the nationwide problem to stockpiling in anticipation of Brexit. Rachel said: “It is particularly bad at the moment but I think there are always shortages.“It is really hard to say why and I wouldn’t put the supply issue down to just Brexit - there are always going to be supply issues sometimes and we are in a bad patch at the moment. “Although, … [Read more...] about St Albans pharmacists speak out on medicine supply shortages